Saturday, August 24, 2013

Blu-ray Review - Return to Never Land: Special Edition


Disney opened up their vault this past Tuesday, August 20, 2013, and released the Blu-ray Combo Pack (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy) of Return to Never Land, the 2002 sequel to the animation classic Peter Pan. This is the first time the charming sequel has been released to Blu-ray with digitally restored picture and high-definition sound with high-flying extras, Pixie previews (Just Desserts, Hide And Tink, Dust Up, Shooting Stars!, and Volley Bug), deleted scenes, and more.

Wendy Darling is now an adult, with her husband off at war (WWII), she is raising her daughter Jane and her son Danny by herself; telling bedtime stories about the adventures she had with Peter Pan and Tinker Bell. Late one night, Captain Hook and his crew break into their house in the attempt of kidnapping Wendy, but they mistakenly take Jane instead, bringing her to Never Land to lure Peter Pan into a trap.

Peter Pan, the Lost Boys, and Tinker Bell quickly save Jane, who Peter hopes will take the role of "mother" for the Lost Boys, similar to what her mother, Wendy, once did. Jane is not her mother and refuses to participate, becoming more of a Lost Girl than a mother. Peter, Tinker Bell, and the Lost Boys try to get Jane to play some games and have fun, but Hook isn't too far away.

Originally planned as a direct-to-video release (similar to other Disney animation sequels), but was instead released to theaters in 2002 with a moderate successful box-office gross, Return to Never Land finally returns to DVD and onto Blu-ray for the first time for a whole new generation.

I remember seeing the original Peter Pan when it was re-released to theater in 1989, but I never watched the Return to Never Land until yesterday. No sequel to a classic animation is going to be as good or even close to it; therefore, I never attempted to compare the two, though some some magical charm is lacking. Great animation and catchy songs will help you forget about the plot-holes. Kids will love watching the movie, while adults may not care for no-nonsense Jane; though it is worth sitting through to see Peter and the grownup Wendy briefly reunite. Overall, Return to Never Land is a cute sequel that kids will have fun watching.



*Disclaimer - I received a complimentary copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

2 comments:

  1. is it worth paying the extra $5 to $6 and getting this movie as well as other disney movies (little mermaid 2 and 3 and pocohontas 2 and 3 in the combo pack with the blu ray or just the dvd only copy for $10 new. I'm starting to collect disney movies and don't have a blu ray player at least not yet but want to get them on the cheap but I don't want to be kicking myself later and thinking i should have spent the extra cash and got the blu ray too. Are dvd's going to be absolute like vhs and it's only going to be blu ray or will the disney combo packs be worth more to sell in the future then just the dvd only. I have preety much disney dvd copys right now . What should i do.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Blu-ray players play most DVDs in HD quality, so if you want to save a few bucks, then buy the DVD. I can't see DVDs disappearing as fast as VHSs did. Though if you buy the combo, you at least have a backup disc.

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